File photo: Gyaltsen Norbu, the 11th Panchen Lama, attends a Buddhism gathering at the Tashilhunpo Monastery in Shigatse, Tibet Autonomous Region, China, December 8, 2015. Picture taken December 8, 2015. REUTERS/China Daily
BEIJING (Reuters) - A youth named by China as the second-highest figure in Tibetan Buddhism, but reviled as a fake by many Tibetans, has pledged to uphold the "glorious tradition" of patriotism that holders of his position have followed, state news agency Xinhua said.
Although officially atheist, China selected Gyaltsen Norbu as the 11th Panchen Lama in 1995 in a drive to win the hearts and minds of Tibetans.
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